Posts Tagged ‘hiptop’

A New Outlook

Thursday, July 20th, 2006

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What you’re looking at is a utility from Fido that syncs data from my trusty hiptop to my new PC notebook. For the first time since switching to the walled garden of the hiptop OS I now have a current and complete local copy of my address book on a computer, and it’s all thanks to Microsoft Outlook, the killer app for Windows.

In and of itself Outlook packs a powerful punch, similar to Entourage for Mac but much more secure. Instead of lumping all your critical info into a monolithic database it allows you to split it up into smaller, more manageable archives.

But here’s the knockout blow: Because Outlook is the gold standard PIM for Windows, every conceivable smart phone on the market will sync to it—BlackBerries, hiptops, Treos, this thing… With Outlook, the universe of wireless devices is your to command.

And to a mobile junkie like yours truly, that’s great news!
8-)

A Small Victory for Fido hiptoppers

Wednesday, July 12th, 2006

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While T-Mobsters are happily thumbing away on their new Sidekick 3s south of the border, we poor Fido users up here in the Great White North have to settle for an over-the-air software update that’s about six months overdue.

If you’re not up to scanning the ten pages of posts on the subject over at the hiptop.com forums, here’s what I think about the OTA update:

The Good

  • Add-on apps can now be temporarily deactivated to make room on the device for new purchases from the built-in software catalog. This is great news for me as I’ve been dying to try out the hiptop drum machine!
  • Fido has thoughtfully included a free multimedia messaging app, bringing my hiptop up to spec with the Sony Ericsson handset I was using two years ago.
  • The web browser now supports javascript, so I can click through to the comments on Ray Deonandan‘s blog—w00t!
  • The same browser no longer mangles multi-column websites, like this one!

The Bad

  • There were all kinds of rumours about MSN and Yahoo! chat clients coming with this OTA; sadly it didn’t happen. A bit weird considering Fido’s heavy marketing campaign for the IM services on their new phones…
  • Though the browser now sports javascript, I still can’t use mobile.aircanada.com!
  • The browser will now select and copy text, but it’s all or nothing. And phone numbers on sites and search results can’t be clicked on and dialed—a bit retarded for a smartphone!
  • Again with the browser… It still can’t display WAP sites.

Despite the gripes, this latest OTA update is a welcome addition to what I maintain is the best handset and service available in this part of the world—w00t!

hiptop/Sidekick 3 is (almost) Here!

Tuesday, June 20th, 2006

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Just after midnight last night (or this morning, for you time Nazis) a flurry of hiptop/Sidekick 3 reviews showed up on my favourite gadget sites. Here are the best pics from the bunch:

Along with some video:

The official T-Mobile SK3 site is, surprisingly, nothing special. Even worse, there’s been nary a peep from the only Canadian carrier that sells the device…
:-?